Jean-Claude Juncker announces composition and portfolios of new European Commission: Maroš Šefčovič, current Commissioner for Inter-institutional relations and adminstration, gets Transport & Space
Jean Claude Junker outlined the composition of the different portfolios. The new college is composed of six Vice Presidents that highlight the big priorities of the next legislature. Three of the Vice Presidents are women including the EU High representative, the Italian Frederica Mogherini. The new post of First Vice President for 'Better regulation, inter-institutional affairs, the Rule of law and Charter of Fundamental Human Rights, that goes to the former Dutch Foreign affairs Minister Frans Timmermans, highlights the intention to rationalize legislative processes.
The new transport Commissioner is the Slovak Maroš Šefčovič, the current Eurpean Commissioner for Inter-institutional relations and administration, and is attributed Transport and Space which hadn’t appeared as a portfolio beforehand. He doesn’t keep the position of Vice President of the Commission that the outgoing Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas had secured.
Once the Commission candidates have been auditioned by the Parliament, the European Commission will publish its work plan. With the 4th Railway package and the TEN-T legislative proposals already published, gone through first reading in the European Parliament and currently being discussed by the Member States transport ministers, the next legislative term appears to be left with no large dossiers to deal with. Nevertheless, a mid-term review of the 2011 White paper is foreseen as are a number of pieces of legislation that could have an impact on the transport sector such as the revision of the Type Approval directive, the ongoing work on Air Quality and emissions.
As regards non-legislative proposals, Polis is closely following developments in the European Parliament and European Council on the Urban Mobility package will published in December 2013, the Clean Air Policy Package also published in December 2013 and the foreseen publication of a communication on an EU urban agenda in the autumn. With an increasing number of policy areas linked to urban and regional mobility, Polis hopes that the new European Commissioner for Transport will ensure the coherence of measures that are relevant to urban mobility.
Following the European elections, Jean-Claude Juncker, was elected President of the European Commission on 15 July. The former Prime Minister of Luxemburg was the first person to fill a high level European political position. After two months of negotiation between heads of States and Government the European Council meeting on the 30th of August appointed the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to succeed Herman Van Rompuy as President of the European Council and the Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Frederica Mogherini to replace Lady Catherine Ashton as EU High Representative. The German MEP Martin Schulz, who was reelected President of the European Parliament for a further two and a half years beginning of July 2014, completes the quartet of high level European political positions that were open in the wake of the European elections.
For a full list of the new European Commission, please click here
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